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Spin, Half-Truth, and Outright Lies in Des Moines

Dear Fellow Patriot, March 17, 2014 “Don’t you see, Iowa Gun Owners is really an anti-gun organization…trying to make it harder for you to carry weapons for self-defense. The reason I’m killing their ‘Constitutional Carry’ bill is because it’s actually an anti-gun bill.”

So said a number of IGO members who are reporting what Rep. Chip Baltimore has been telling them. Rep. Chip Baltimore (R-Boone) has been shoveling excuses to you and me for a long time now about why he’s killing this bill (HF2284) as well as Stand Your Ground legislation (HF2113) but this latest attempt at misleading and confusing gun owners had me laughing out loud in my office.

As IGO members have been calling to report what Chip Baltimore is saying, I’ve been listening to my staff patiently explain that, in fact, it is Chip Baltimore whose actions are harming gun rights here in Iowa.

Baltimore is claiming that because HF2284 says, “A person who goes armed with any dangerous weapon with the intent to use without justification such weapon against the person of another commits a class “D” felony,” that it makes both concealed and open carry a Class D felony.

He’s been telling that to many of you.

There are only two options here.

Either Rep. Baltimore can’t comprehend the words in the bill, which is a scary thought, or he’s purposefully misleading you.

It’s as clear as can be.

If you carry a dangerous weapon with the intention to use the weapon against another person without justification then you are committing a felony!

So if an armed thug carries a weapon with the intention of robbing a Casey’s gas station then he’s guilt of a crime – as he should be.

But the bill goes on to state that:

The intent required for a violation of this section shall not be inferred from the mere carrying or concealment of any dangerous weapon itself, including the carrying of a loaded firearm, whether in a vehicle or on or about a person’s body.

This language above is where you and I are given the option to carry without needing a permit.

It’s the best of both worlds, the permit system remains in place for those that want a permit for purposes of reciprocity, while at the same time allowing you to carry without a permit if you want to avoid being on a government list.

This freedom is currently enjoyed by gun owners in states like Alaska, Arizona, Wyoming, Arkansas, and most of Montana and Idaho – incidentally, these are some of the safest states in the country.

Rep. Baltimore is arrogantly continuing to throw out lies and manipulated “facts” in an attempt to distract and confuse the very people he was elected to represent.

So whether he says he won’t move the bill because we’re a secret gun control group that cavorts with Sarah Brady or because he can’t find the word constitution in the bill, don’t believe a word of it. The truth is much simpler than Baltimore’s conspiracy theories. And the truth is that he’d much sooner be chumming around in Des Moines with his anti-gun pals than making them angry by moving these bills which might get him invited to fewer parties.

The picture below was taken recently of Rep. Baltimore and the leading anti-gun legislators on “his” Judiciary Committee.

The legislator on the far left is Rep. Mary Wolfe (D-Clinton). Wolfe, the ‘Ranking Member’ of the Democratic caucus in the Judiciary Committee has identified Constitutional Carry and Stand-Your-Ground legislation as the number one gun bills that she wants to kill!

Obviously the lines have become blurred for Rep. Baltimore.

That’s why I hope you’ll continue to let him and the rest of the General Assembly hear from you right away. Don’t settle for lies, half-truths, distortions, or any other nonsense being served up from certain legislators in Des Moines.

Tell them that you want to see a vote on HF2284 – period.

Remind your legislator that when he/she leaves Des Moines and comes back to the district looking for money, volunteer time, and your vote for their re-election campaign that you’re going to remember whether or not he/she supported this legislation when the opportunity came up.

Don’t let them bully or bluff you.

While some legislators clearly have forgotten this, they are YOUR representatives sent to Des Moines to do YOUR business – not have play time with rabid anti-gunners who won’t rest until you and I have lost our gun rights and our way of life.

But in addition, I hope you’ll contact House Speaker Kraig Paulsen and Majority Leader Linda Upmeyer too. You see, these are the folks who choose committee chairmen and they are also the ones who can remove them or make them advance legislation.

Don’t fall for the “it’s too late to do anything this year” lie either.

They can move this legislation using “committee bills” or “leadership bills” which are immune from deadlines. This is EXACTLY how “shall issue” legislation came about in 2010 and everyone in leadership in the House knows it.

Iowa Gun Owners is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, single-purpose organization dedicated to preserving and protecting the Constitutionally protected right to keep and bear arms through an aggressive grassroots program designed to mobilize public opposition to anti-gun legislation. The address for Iowa Gun Owners is PO Box 3585, Des Moines, IA 50323. You can call us at 515-309-7858. Our website can be located at www.IowaGunOwners.org.

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As we work around the clock in the Capitol trying to advance Stand-Your-Ground law, we’re also working hard to come to as many gun shows as we can. Our goal is to make it as easy as possible for you and other gun owners to make your voices heard! We need your help. Liberal media outlets from Council Bluffs to Cedar Rapids are working overtime to kill this legislation with